Yoshinobu Yamamoto said Sunday he is confident about returning from a shoulder injury before the end of the season.
“Of course,” he told Japanese reporters, with a chuckle.
However, neither the Dodgers nor their star Japanese right-hander has yet set a target date for Yamamoto’s return, leaving his status unclear as MLB’s July 30 trade deadline approaches.
“I just want to recover as quickly as possible,” Yamamoto said in Japanese, “and direct my rehabilitation in a way to make that happen.”
While Yamamoto hasn’t pitched since June 15 because of a strained rotator cuff, he said he is now pain-free and has been extending the distance of his flat-ground long toss sessions.
Read more: Gavin Lux stays hot — and starts changing the narrative — as Dodgers sweep Red Sox
According to manager Dave Roberts, Yamamoto has gotten to about 200 feet in catch play, a sign that bullpen sessions could be on the horizon for the 25-year-old starter, who signed a record-breaking $325-million contract with the Dodgers this offseason.
“I’m at the stage where I’m gradually increasing distance and effort,” Yamamoto said. “I feel it’s going extremely well.”
Yet there is still no firm date on when Yamamoto might get back on a mound, or begin a minor-league rehab assignment, or eventually return to a Dodgers rotation that will desperately need him come the playoffs.
“If he were to come back,” manager Dave Roberts said, “he would certainly be an impact guy.”
For now, though, that ominous “if” remains — leaving the Dodgers in a somewhat awkward position going into next week’s trade deadline.
If the team knew Yamamoto would be back pitching like he did before his injury, when he was 6-2 with a rotation-best 2.92 ERA, it would lessen their need to try to add another front-line pitcher before the deadline — a tall task in a seller’s market with few ace-caliber arms available.
On the flip side, if the Dodgers knew Yamamoto was out for the rest of the year, it might make the front office more comfortable parting with top prospects to acquire a talented arm such as Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox or, in the unlikely event he becomes available, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
Instead, the team finds itself in a “tricky” situation, as Roberts put it, with Yamamoto representing one of several key players (along…